Stripping!

Mmmm, thrift-shop cookware. Is there anything sweeter than buying a well-loved piece of cast iron for a song at a garage sale or Goodwill?

But what if your perfect piece is sticky with old fat and/or riddled with rust? There are a million great suggestions for seasoning your cast iron, but fewer out there about unseasoning your precious new skillet.

Curbly, a DIY design site, has come to the rescue with step-by-step instructions on how to salvage and season cast iron. (While you’re on the site, poke around a bit. There’s a neat piece on making your own tortilla press.)

Many (maybe even I) will take issue with the first step: dousing the piece with oven cleaner and leaving it in a bag overnight. But the results look pretty good.